Divination definition

Divination





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5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Divination \Div`i*na"tion\, n. [L. divinatio, fr. divinare,
     divinatum, to foresee, foretell, fr. divinus: cf. F.
     divination. See {Divine}.]
     1. The act of divining; a foreseeing or foretelling of future
        events; the pretended art discovering secret or future by
        preternatural means.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              There shall not be found among you any one that . .
              . useth divination, or an observer of times, or an
              enchanter.                            --Deut. xviii.
                                                    10.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: Among the ancient heathen philosophers natural
           divination was supposed to be effected by a divine
           afflatus; artificial divination by certain rites,
           omens, or appearances, as the flight of birds, entrails
           of animals, etc.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     2. An indication of what is future or secret; augury omen;
        conjectural presage; prediction.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Birds which do give a happy divination of things to
              come.                                 --Sir T.
                                                    North.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  divination
       n 1: successful conjecture by unusual insight or good luck
       2: a prediction uttered under divine inspiration [syn: {prophecy}]
       3: the art or gift of prophecy (or the pretense of prophecy) by
          supernatural means [syn: {foretelling}, {soothsaying}, {fortune
          telling}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  69 Moby Thesaurus words for "divination":
     alchemy, astrodiagnosis, astrology, astromancy, augury, bewitchery,
     charm, clairvoyance, crystal ball, crystal gazing, divining,
     enchantment, fetishism, fortunetelling, genethliacs, genethlialogy,
     glamour, gramarye, halomancy, haruspication, haruspicy, hoodoo,
     horoscopy, idolomancy, juju, jujuism, magic, mantic, mantology,
     natural magic, necromancy, obeah, onomancy, palm-reading,
     palmistry, pythonism, rune, shamanism, sorcery, sortes Biblicae,
     sortes Homericae, sortes Praenestinae, sortes Vergilianae,
     sortilege, spatulamancy, spell, spellbinding, spellcasting,
     spodomancy, stichomancy, sycomancy, sympathetic magic,
     thaumaturgia, thaumaturgics, thaumaturgism, thaumaturgy, theomancy,
     theurgy, vampirism, voodoo, voodooism, wanga, white magic,
     witchcraft, witchery, witchwork, wizardry, xylomancy, zoomancy
  
  

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Divination
     of false prophets (Deut. 18:10, 14; Micah 3:6, 7, 11), of
     necromancers (1 Sam. 28:8), of the Philistine priests and
     diviners (1 Sam. 6:2), of Balaam (Josh. 13:22). Three kinds of
     divination are mentioned in Ezek. 21:21, by arrows, consulting
     with images (the teraphim), and by examining the entrails of
     animals sacrificed. The practice of this art seems to have been
     encouraged in ancient Egypt. Diviners also abounded among the
     aborigines of Canaan and the Philistines (Isa. 2:6; 1 Sam. 28).
     At a later period multitudes of magicians poured from Chaldea
     and Arabia into the land of Israel, and pursued their
     occupations (Isa. 8:19; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chr. 33:6). This
     superstition widely spread, and in the time of the apostles
     there were "vagabond Jews, exorcists" (Acts 19:13), and men like
     Simon Magus (Acts 8:9), Bar-jesus (13:6, 8), and other jugglers
     and impostors (19:19; 2 Tim. 3:13). Every species and degree of
     this superstition was strictly forbidden by the law of Moses
     (Ex. 22:18; Lev. 19:26, 31; 20:27; Deut. 18:10, 11).
     
       But beyond these various forms of superstition, there are
     instances of divination on record in the Scriptures by which God
     was pleased to make known his will.
     
       (1.) There was divination by lot, by which, when resorted to
     in matters of moment, and with solemnity, God intimated his will
     (Josh. 7:13). The land of Canaan was divided by lot (Num. 26:55,
     56); Achan's guilt was detected (Josh. 7:16-19), Saul was
     elected king (1 Sam. 10:20, 21), and Matthias chosen to the
     apostleship, by the solem lot (Acts 1:26). It was thus also that
     the scape-goat was determined (Lev. 16:8-10).
     
       (2.) There was divination by dreams (Gen. 20:6; Deut. 13:1, 3;
     Judg. 7:13, 15; Matt. 1:20; 2:12, 13, 19, 22). This is
     illustrated in the history of Joseph (Gen. 41:25-32) and of
     Daniel (2:27; 4:19-28).
     
       (3.) By divine appointment there was also divination by the
     Urim and Thummim (Num. 27:21), and by the ephod.
     
       (4.) God was pleased sometimes to vouch-safe direct vocal
     communications to men (Deut. 34:10; Ex. 3:4; 4:3; Deut. 4:14,
     15; 1 Kings 19:12). He also communed with men from above the
     mercy-seat (Ex. 25:22), and at the door of the tabernacle (Ex.
     29:42, 43).
     
       (5.) Through his prophets God revealed himself, and gave
     intimations of his will (2 Kings 13:17; Jer. 51:63, 64).
     

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  DIVINATION, n.  The art of nosing out the occult.  Divination is of as
  many kinds as there are fruit-bearing varieties of the flowering dunce
  and the early fool.
  
  

















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